Technology /
Verifiable Event Logging
Cryptographically secured event histories whose integrity and sequence can be independently verified.
A history that can be checked
ControlThings developed technology for creating cryptographically secured event records and linking successive events into an event history.
The central idea is simple: an event should carry enough cryptographic context for its place in the history, and the integrity of the history itself, to be checked.
Conceptual representation of the event-chain principle. The illustration is a web-native interpretation, not a reproduction of the patent drawing.
How it works
An event record can contain event information together with cryptographic information that relates it to the preceding record.
The resulting chain makes it possible to test the continuity of the history rather than merely trusting a collection of independent log entries.
Integrity
Changes to a recorded event can be detected through the cryptographic relationships in the chain.
Sequence
Successive records are linked so that their chronological relationship can be checked.
Verifiability
The history can be examined and validated without relying solely on the original logging application.
Embedded ready
The technology was developed in the context of connected and embedded systems, where resources and connectivity can be constrained.
Where the technology can matter
A verifiable event history can be useful wherever it is important to establish what happened, in what order, and whether the record has remained intact.
Part of a trusted foundation
Secure device identity provides the basis for knowing which device is participating. Certificate infrastructure such as CertManager can provide a practical identity-management layer.
Verifiable event logging adds another property: a history that can be inspected for integrity and sequence.
Patent
US Patent 11,343,107 B2
System for method for secured logging of events
Issued May 24, 2022.